The morning of our New Zealand road-trip dawned and we quickly vacated our makeshift garage-cum-bedroom in the first light to pick-up our van. We'd become quite accustomed to the camper-life during our previous three trips in Australia, so getting on the road again felt quite comforting - almost like going home.

The turnaround at the Christchurch Apollo Camper depot went smooth enough. Granted, there was the usual queuing, paperwork filling and being fear-mongered into paying extra for all-singing-all-dancing insurance options, but it was performed with efficiency by the no-nonsense lady who sorted it all out for us - we'll call her Madge - who proudly stated she didn't choose her line of living for the money. With her slightly dry and offish manner, it certainly didn't seem to be because of her outstanding people skills either.

Nonetheless, we were quickly on our way and in the prevailing Christchurch wind and rain, we headed towards to the lakes and mountains of the Otago region.

As we drove further away from Christchurch, the skies cleared and the promise of the scenery ahead of us started to appear in the horizon. The first glimpses of snow-capped mountains, cobalt blue Tekapo and Pukaki lakes, pine trees and windy roads made it all hit home. This is what we had hoped for - we'd finally landed in the New Zealand of our dreams since being little. ;

Resisting the urges to stop constantly was a battle as behind every corner there was a photo opportunity more magnificent than the last. But with just under two weeks to cover the two islands, we had to make driving our main priority. We had to travel 600km to our first stop in the Fiordlands region and after putting a decent enough dent in that in the first day, we settled for the night in the small town of Cromwell.

The target for the second day was Te Anau, a small town on the edge of the Fiordland National Park. It was a hub for numerous excursions, such as day-trips to Milford or Doubtful Sound - we were planning on visiting the former - and mountain treks - we'd organised to walk the 'Routeburn Track' ourselves a few days later.

The final stretch of driving brought with it even more beautiful scenery: The snowy mountains got closer, the towns more picturesque, and to the delight of Shaun, even the pies were better.

This was realised at an impromptu stop in Arrowtown, a cute alpine style town with its dainty gold-miner/years gone by style shops and narrow streets, all nestled between forests and mountains. Its local bakery was apparently served some of the best savoury pastry goods in the country, so we felt obliged to sample them. Our choices of 'Venison' and 'Lamb & Mint' (which were served to us by a Yorkshire lass) were, according to Shaun (a bit of a self-proclaimed connoisseur), the best he'd ever had.

After navigating our way to Te Anau and finding our holiday park for the night, we quickly decided on staying in the area until the day of our three day, two night hike. As mentioned, there wasn't a shortage on activities to pass the time and after many recommendations, we booked onto a day-trip to Milford Sound for the following day.

Although we'd normally try go for the budget option for these types of activities, I was quickly sold on the slightly more expensive cruise. I maintain that this was credit to the skills of the salesman, but Shaun remains adamant that it was only because he mentioned that we'd get to see more animals - he clearly found my soft spot then.

The next day, the bus came and herded the sheep - sorry, tourists - along the winding Milford Sound Highway - a drive worth doing itself. Our driver for the day, Deano was as loopy as what we'd now become to expect of the Kiwis. He was rambling on to himself through the PA, once shouting, "Look, a dead Aussie! Oh no; sorry, it's just a possum". Well the journey was certainly entertaining enough.

On arriving to the beautiful Milford Sound port, it was obvious that our money was well spent: The scenery was spectacular and we were treated to a clear, sunny day in and area where the Kiwi's joke it rains over 365 days of the year. We really felt quite privileged to be in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Green mountains rose from the bluest waters, with numerous waterfalls and peaks completing the backdrop - it was hard to believe a place like this really exists and we got to see it first-hand. And yes, there were animals: Lots of little fur seals basked in the sun on the rocks and we even saw a lonesome penguin - apparently the second rarest of world.

After filling our boots, Deano herded us back to Te Anau, where we caught a stunning sunset over the lake to really top the day off.

Click here to read Part 2